Passengers rue state of station

SWAPNANEEL BHATTACHARJEE

Water seeps onto the platform. Picture by Swapnaneel Bhattacharjee

Silchar, Aug. 12: There appears to be no end to the problems of passengers at Silchar railway station.

Barely a few months since complaints about cleanliness on the premises and in the toilets of the railway station were raised, a leaking platform roof has aggravated passengers' woes. Replete with holes, the roof has been in a shambles for the past few days. When it rains, water falls on those standing on the station and also makes the floor slippery, putting passengers at a risk of getting injured.

Subir Nath, 51, a regular traveller from Silchar railway station, who runs a small business in Karimganj, while waiting for a train to Karimganj this morning, said people are facing trouble because of the leaky roof and the station authority should immediately take steps to repair it.

Another regular traveller, Sumati Chakraborty, a teacher, said the railway authorities should regularly check the problems faced by passengers and take steps. She said the elderly could get injured by falling on the slippery floor during the monsoon.

Passengers who sleep on the platform to board trains late in the night or early in morning are also severely inconvenienced because of the leaking platform roof, a source at the railway station said.

Several passengers had complained about lack of cleanliness in the station when members of the passengers' amenities committee (PAC) visited the railway station in April this year. Complaints were also made about inadequate ticket booking counters and unavailability of a food joint in the station.

The PAC team had spoken to passengers to know about the problems being faced by them. The team also inspected the overall infrastructure of the station, including the condition of the seating arrangement, electric fans, power cables and toilets.

Superintendent of Silchar railway station Biplab Das told The Telegraph today that he has informed the authorities and repair work would be done very soon.

He regretted that passengers had been facing problems because of the condition of the roof but dismissed the allegations about cleanliness not being maintained on the station premises and in toilets. He said regular checking was done to ensure that cleanliness was maintained to the best possible extent. He said at times it becomes almost impossible to keep the station clean because of some "irresponsible" passengers who throw bottles and food packets on the premises.

On the issue of inadequate ticket booking counters, he said there was no such problem now with three ticket booking counters operating in the morning and two in the evening. During excessive rush of passengers, an additional person helps in the ticket booking process.